Business

WestJet Christmas Surprise Will Make You Believe in Santa

Airports are perhaps the least jolly of locales during the holiday season, generally filled with disgruntled people facing delays, lost luggage and other mishaps. But, thanks to WestJet, one gaggle of weary travelers was treated to a Christmas miracle that turned an airport into Santa's workshop.

The Canadian airline, with the help of a virtual and tech-savvy Santa Claus, learned what passengers at the Toronto and Hamilton International Airports — who were waiting to board flights to Calgary — had on their Christmas wishlists this year. Once everyone boarded their planes, the WestJet team also took off — on shopping sprees, that is.

The more than 150 WestJet employees played the part of Santa's elves, gathering personalized presents, wrapping them and delivering them to the Calgary airport before the unsuspecting recipients landed. Upon arrival, the travelers received nothing short of a holiday miracle at baggage claim.

The entire event was captured via hidden cameras and turned into an ad mimicking the poem commonly known as The Night Before Christmas.

This wasn't WestJet's first foray into spreading airport Christmas cheer. Last year, the airline created a Christmas-themed flash mob, complete with dancing elves, in the middle of an airport. The video received almost a half million views, leading the airline to donate flights to a family in need through their community investment program.

This year, WestJet will donate flights if the video receives at least 200,000 YouTube views.

WestJet's Vice-President of Communications and Community Relations Richard Bartrem explains the process of planning the company's Christmas extravaganza in the video below:

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